Annual Reward

However, for Gen, that weight was not enough. Compared to the future Rock Lee, this was nothing more than a simple warm-up. In the future Chūnin Exam, the weights on Lee's feet weighed at least a ton; otherwise, they wouldn't have shattered the pavement when he dropped them to the ground.

Of course, Gen wasn't using less weight due to a lack of determination but because he had a better understanding of body care.

Although his physique was strong, he was still young, and carrying too much weight could affect his development. Everything had its time.

After resting for a bit, he stored the weights in a storage scroll, dressed in the folded clothes he had left behind a tree, and once ready, set off.

Before the Kyūbi disaster, the Uchiha clan had not yet been relegated to the outskirts of the village. As one of the two most prestigious clans in Konoha, their residence was in a prime area at the village's core: a massive complex of buildings that resembled a village within the village.

The journey passed without incident.

Upon reaching the entrance, guarded by the clan's sentries, Gen passed through without issue and headed to his home.

His parents were ninjas, and his father, a Tokubetsu Jōnin, so the house they had left behind was quite decent. It was a small but comfortable residence.

And so, the night passed without anything noteworthy.

The Next Day.

Dawn had barely broken when his biological clock automatically pulled him from sleep.

He let out a long yawn, his eyes half-closed, his mind still trapped in slumber.

"Ahh… I slept like a log…"

His body responded with a long, satisfying stretch. Sitting on the bed, he felt his muscles relax, releasing the accumulated tension from the previous night.

He had arrived home late, eaten dinner quickly, and then trained in the courtyard until the moon was high in the sky. Only after squeezing out every last drop of energy from his body had he allowed himself to take a shower and collapse into bed.

But now, after a few hours of deep sleep, his body felt completely renewed. Pure energy coursed through every fiber of his muscles, as if last night's exhaustion had never existed.

Still groggy and in his pajamas, he got up unsteadily and made his way to the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet with an automatic motion, letting the cold water fully awaken his senses. Leaning over the sink, he grabbed his toothbrush and began his morning routine, brushing absentmindedly while staring at his reflection in the mirror.

As usual, he opened his talent panel with the same expectation as always, more out of habit than any real urgency. It was a small ritual he had developed, a way to add a little excitement to his morning.

But the instant his eyes landed on the evolution points, he choked.

"COUGH, COUGH—! What the—?!"

The shock hit him like a punch straight to the chest. The surprise struck so hard that he spat out the toothpaste foam all at once, breaking into a violent coughing fit.

He doubled over the sink, his eyes watery from the coughing, trying to catch his breath. His toothbrush clattered against the porcelain, and foam splattered onto the mirror, but he couldn't care less.

With his heart pounding, he refocused his gaze on the talent panel.

[Sharingan★☆—5000]

[Physical★☆—5000]

[Ninjutsu★☆—5000]

[Taijutsu★☆—5000]

[Genjutsu★☆—5000]

[Evolution Points—9526]

Nothing seemed to have changed… except for one small detail that made him feel utterly incredulous.

The evolution points.

"What the hell…?"

9526 points!

"This doesn't make any sense…"

According to his calculations, by this time, his evolution points should have only increased by about ten points at most. But what he had before his eyes was an increase of nearly 9000 points out of nowhere.

As he tried to make sense of it, his mind began rapidly going over all the possibilities.

Since the system had awakened, he had tried everything to earn evolution points faster. After all, gaining just 1 point per hour was far too slow in his opinion.

However, no matter what kind of animal he killed or how much he practiced with a sword, he never managed to earn points in any other way, so he had eventually given up.

And yet, now this.

His brow furrowed as he reviewed every detail of the previous night, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Had he done something different? A new trigger?

But… nothing.

Everything had gone exactly the same as always. Training, dinner, shower, bed.

…!

Then, a thought crossed his mind.

"Wait..."

From the day the system appeared until yesterday, exactly one year had passed. Today… today was the first day of the second year.

"No way..."

Could that be it?

Finding no other explanation, Gen considered this possibility.

The normal way to gain points was 1 point per hour. If there was another way to earn them, the most likely factor had to be time itself.

And when he carefully calculated the increase in his evolution points… If the normal rate was 1 point per hour, then in one year, he would have accumulated exactly...

8760 points

"An annual reward?..." he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief.

Even though he couldn't be entirely sure yet, the mere fact that he had gained over 8000 points all at once was insane.

It was like finding a treasure chest full of gold in the middle of a desert.

"I'd better not spend them right away..." he muttered, exhaling slowly to calm the whirlwind in his chest. "I'll handle today's matters first and then carefully decide where to invest them."

After calming the excitement in his heart, he withdrew his consciousness from the sea of his mind. Then, he picked up his toothbrush from the sink, rinsed it thoroughly, and cleaned the mirror before resuming brushing his teeth.

Despite the temptation to spend the points immediately, he knew that evolving talents recklessly was a bad idea. The further he advanced, the more expensive it became.

At this stage, every talent evolution had to be carefully considered. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to maximize his benefits.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he left home. Then, he bought breakfast from a street vendor in the clan district and ate as he made his way to the Academy.

…

"Good morning, Gen!"

"Gen, we have an evaluation today! I'm so nervous!"

"Gen..."

Several classmates greeted him as soon as they saw him, as if his mere presence was enough to stabilize the atmosphere.

With his characteristic warm smile, Gen responded to everyone as usual before heading to his seat.